- Exports will be subject to the safeguards established by the IAEA.
- Two nations will build a “temporary space tracking terminal.”
- Albanese praises Modi’s leadership for helping foster stronger ties.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he reached a uranium supply deal during his visit to Australia on Thursday, securing a fuel source that will play a crucial role in his nation’s nuclear energy ambitions.
Faced with a nearly insatiable appetite for electricity in the world’s most populous nation, Modi has outlined plans to substantially increase nuclear power generation in the coming years.
Australia claims about 28% of the world’s uranium resources, but legal hurdles and political sensitivities have hampered exports to India.
“We have signed an important agreement on nuclear energy today,” Modi said after talks with his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese.
“This will pave the way for the supply of uranium from Australia to India and give new impetus to our clean energy goals.”
A joint statement said the deal allowed for long-term uranium exports for “exclusively peaceful purposes.”
Exports would be under the safeguards established by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“The deal facilitates Australian uranium exports to India, to help increase the share of non-fossil fuel energy capacity,” Albanese told reporters.
India and Australia signed a nuclear cooperation agreement in 2015 that paved the way for uranium exports.
India and Australia have grown considerably closer in recent years, partly driven by a joint desire to keep Beijing’s military ambitions in check while cultivating trading partners outside China.
Modi and Albanese also agreed to strengthen defense cooperation and bolster supply chains of critical minerals.
The two nations would build a “temporary space tracking terminal” on Australia’s Cocos Keeling Islands in the Indian Ocean, which will support India’s spaceflight projects, according to a joint statement.
“Big demographic change”
Albanese wore a wide smile as the two leaders paused briefly for a selfie earlier in the day.
The Australian prime minister has previously referred to Modi as “The Boss”, joking that he could draw larger crowds than American rock icon Bruce Springsteen.
Albanese praised Modi’s leadership for helping foster stronger ties between the two nations.
“Prime Minister Modi, his leadership and his personal commitment to Australia have been absolutely critical to this change,” Albanese said.
The Indian diaspora in Australia has grown substantially in recent years, giving Modi a sizeable supporter base in the country.
For the first time on record, the largest group of foreign-born Australian residents came from India, last year’s statistics showed in June.
“In 2014, the Indian diaspora community in Australia was relatively small,” said Teesta Prakash of the Australia India Institute.
“But by 2026 it will be the largest diaspora community in Australia. It has surpassed the British, which represents a huge demographic change,” he told AFP.
Modi will receive a rock star welcome when he leads a community rally at a Melbourne stadium later on Thursday, with organizers anticipating more than 20,000 people could attend the event.
But Modi’s visit is also expected to provoke opposition, including criticism that he has fostered a dangerous brand of Hindu nationalism in his country.
The Australian Alliance Against Islamophobia said it would protest outside the event at the stadium, drawing attention to what it said was the persecution of minority groups in India.
Anti-immigration protesters also gathered before the demonstration, holding signs calling for “Put Australians First”.
Modi is scheduled to fly to New Zealand after Australia.
